Category Archives: Parents

Atlanta Youth Lacrosse and STAR (Students that Accept Responsibility) volunteers will be hosting a community lacrosse clinic along with the MLL Atlanta Blaze professional lacrosse team and the Georgia Lacrosse Chapter.

The clinic will take place on Sunday, April 22nd at Kennesaw State University(Owls Nest) at 10:00 AM and all clinic participants will receive a T-Shirt, Lunch and autograph session with Atlanta Blaze Players. After the clinic all players will attend the Atlanta Blaze Opening Game vs the Florida Launch.

Brandon Perkins (Friends of Spirit) approached Coach Lou Corsetti in October after Coach Lou presented a coaching clinc to the Harrison Youth Lacrosse program last summer. Brandon wanted to have a clinic for kids that have not been exposed to our great game.

Over the last few months Mr. Perkins along with Mark Rowley from the Atlanta Blaze and Coach Lou have met to outline the program and discuss the logistics of the event. Mr. Perkins has raised over $ 5000 for the event and we have over seventy kids lined up for the clinic. This will prove to be an exciting event for the kids in the Atlanta Community and will benifit so many young people.

Lets try and get as many players from Atlanta Youth Lacrosse to attend the event and support the Atlanta Blaze.

As we prepare for the upcoming season it is important to be in shape and have the ability to run around and have fun.

The Spring season is right around the corner and all of our young athletes should be working on their stick work and doing some running and agility training.

I came across this article and I thought it was important to share with our players and parents. All to often we rush our players from school or another event and we don’t think about injury prevention.

As adults it is our responsibility to help young players understand what they can do to prevent injuring themselves.

Growing up many of us were outside 100 percent of our free time. Young people today may not have that luxury as they have many outside influences that can cut down on free play and just running around.

I suggest that everyone read this article as a family and try and perform some of these skills. You don’t need a personal training and you can do all of these drills in your driveway or back yard.

This year will mark the 18th time I will speaking at the US Lacrosse National Convention in Baltimore. I will be presenting our STAR program which was the brainchild of my wife Mary Jo 10 years ago. The STAR program much like the Tidewater youth ambassadors (mentioned in the above article) is something that young people can wrap their arms around and help others. Our STAR’s are committed young men/women who want to help spread the great game of lacrosse.

About the STAR program:

Our STAR’s are upstanding members of the community that recognize the value of volunteering their time and energy to provide a wonderful experience to everyone who comes out to enjoy lacrosse. As the name implies, we cultivate a culture of responsibility at our fields where our volunteers are expected to show up on time, work hard, engage with the players and coaches, assume leadership roles and, most importantly, have fun.

The Intangibles

S.T.A.R.s learn how to behave professionally in a work environment

They learn how to properly communicate their availability through e-mail

As our S.T.A.R.s grow older their responsibilities grow as well.

S.T.A.R.s learn how to use criticism to their advantage because occasionally mistakes will happen. We do not shy from critiquing the work of any S.T.A.R. but we do provide an environment where mistakes are okay because they are the only way to learn.

Volunteer Hours

Many schools in Georgia require volunteer hours, many colleges like seeing applicants who have volunteered in their community. Our S.T.A.R. program provides ample opportunities for students to accumulate volunteer hours along with the potential to earn a paycheck.

S.T.A.R.s are a very visible part of our lacrosse program and they understand that their actions while working reflect the character of Atlanta Youth Lacrosse.We expect all of our volunteers to respect players, parents, and their fellow volunteers.